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Archive for September, 2024

Babcock Presents: Future of Soldier Systems Capability on Show at Land Forces 2024

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

Babcock will showcase a suite of leading soldier systems innovations at Land Force 2024 to highlight the effectiveness of industry partnerships in securing speed to capability and supporting Army’s transition to a Focused Force.

As an integrated capability lifecycle manager, Babcock delivers valuable solutions to Defence made up of the right combination of bespoke industry products, packaged together as a fit-for-purpose resource.

Two life-sized models will be on display at Babcock’s interactive stand demonstrating this approach. The first display figure will feature representations of a soldier optimised for amphibius operations to illustrate the Enhanced Force in Being. The second will reflect the Objective Integrated Force timeframes outlined in Defence’s Integrated Investment Plan.

Babcock has been working with industry to identify capability gaps in solider systems and engaging with its supply chain to find and prototype solutions.

The systems and technologies on display will demonstrate Babcock’s ability to collaborate across a diverse and agile industrial support network to generate capability aligned to the needs of a Future Integrated Force.

“We are being proactive in our approach to integration and technology development so we can solve complex problems and deliver complete solutions that will be operationally effective for the joint force across both urban and littoral environments,” Babcock Australasia Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cridland said.

“By acting as a ‘smart buyer’ for our Defence customers – including looking horizontally across the commercial sector, where necessary – we can bring flexibly and improvements to Defence programs at the speed of need, all the while enabling industry.

“Supporting both ends of the supply chain forms part of our continuous commitment to service excellence, and our efforts to promote a safe and secure world, together.”

www.babcock.com.au

Ascent AeroSystems Exhibits Full Line of Coaxial UAVs at Land Forces 2024

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

– Blue sUAS-approved, RemoteID-compliant UAVs are proven performers for mission-critical operations.

– Ascent Spirit and NX30 aircraft are fielded with DoD, DHS, DOJ, and Allied forces.

– Aircraft-grade UAS/UAVs produced at scale in Torrance, CA

Wilmington, MA – September 10, 2024 – Ascent AeroSystems, the world’s leading manufacturer of compact, high-performance, coaxial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone systems, will exhibit this week at the Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exhibitionat the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria, Australia. A first-time exhibitor at the biennial event, the Ascent stand—G084 in the USA Partnership Pavilion—will feature its family of rugged, all-weather coaxial propulsion UAS/UAVs.

“The NX30 and DIU Blue sUAS-approved Spirit are the most flexible multi-role Group 1 UAS/UAV platforms available,” commented Paul Fermo, vice president of business development for Ascent AeroSystems. “Built using our proven coaxial rotor technology and a unique cylindrical airframe, our aircraft-grade platforms deliver unmatched modularity for easy integration of multiple payloads.”

Novel Design Delivers Unmatched UAS/UAV Versatility

Ascent’s family of cylindrical, coaxial UAVs outperform comparable multirotor light and medium lift systems when it comes to up time, flight time and payload. Benefits include operational integrity in even the most austere environments, a reduced noise profile, multiple deployment modalities and efficient ground handling and storage, making them a preferred choice for a wide range of defense, public safety and industrial operations. The modularity and open architecture design of Ascent’s platforms also eliminates obsolescence and minimizes vendor lock, allowing operators to add, change, or update payloads and software as mission requirements dictate.

Spirit: DIU Blue UAS Cleared

The Ascent AeroSystems Spirit sets the industry standard for compact, rugged, versatile UAVs. It is a proven multi-role asset for surveillance, inspection, ISR and kinetic payload delivery. Available in one- or two-battery configurations, the Spirit has up to 58 minutes of endurance, or 32 minutes with maximum payload, a top speed of >60 mph (100 kph) and Class 8 wind resistance (40+ mph) to meet operational requirements in virtually any weather condition.

Learn more about the SPIRIT.

NX30: Scalable, Multi-purpose Backpack-portable Medium Lift

The only backpack-portable VTOL system optimized for medium lift, longer endurance missions with payloads up to 15.7 pounds (6.9 kg), the NX30 offers the performance and reliability necessary to support even the most complex missions. With a maximum take-off weight of 30 pounds, the radio agnostic NX30 can be configured with one or two batteries, has up to 65-minute endurance depending on payload, a maximum speed of >60 mph (100 kph), Class 8 wind resistance (40+ mph), and a maximum operating altitude of 14,600 feet MSL.

Learn more about the NX30.

The Ascent family of UAVs is produced at scale at Robinson Helicopter Company’s vertically integrated manufacturing facility in Torrance, California.

“The laws of aerodynamics and the laws of physics favor coaxial UAS/UAVs over other VTOL configurations,” Ascent AeroSystems cofounder and CEO Peter Fuchs stated. “It’s not marketing; it’s science.”

To see the Ascent AeroSystems family of coaxial UAS/UAVs, visit us at the USA Partnership Pavilion, stand G084, at Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exposition at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Victoria, Australia, September 11–13, 2024.

ascentaerosystems.com

DefendTex Launches Domestically Manufactured “VENGEANCE” FPV Long Range Strike Drone

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

DANDENONG SOUTH, VICTORIA – 10 September 2024 – Australian company DefendTex has launched Australia’s first domestically manufactured ‘blue’ First Person View (FPV) combat drone. This drone, designed for the European market, can carry up to 10kg of explosive ordinance over a distance greaterthan 20kms. This FPV drone is one of a series of loitering munitions designed and manufactured by DefendTex Australia for export markets.

DefendTex CEO Travis Reddy said, “it is important for Australia to have a manufacturing capability to produce our own long range precision strike weapons at scale”. This technology is designed so that targets can be reached away from the frontline of the battlefield. Mr Reddy added, “with pressure on defence budgets and global shortages of munitions, the DefendTex Vengeance Drone is a disruptive technology that can be manufactured at scale and at low cost.” The drone has been hardened to operate in an electronic warfare environment and leverages the latest developments in artificial intelligence. The Vengeance drone enables FPV swarm operations from a single pilot with no increase in cognitive burden. DefendTex is an established leader in multi-domain asymmetric warfare solutions and was awarded Innovator of the Year at the Australian Defence Industry Awards in 2023 and 2024. Providing world leading defence technologies, DefendTex’s capabilities include precision guided weapons, energetics, rocket manufacturing and loitering munitions. DefendTex has extensive experience in collaborative research, having commercialised ground breaking defence technologies. DefendTex is headquartered in Australia and has offices in USA and UK.

BAE Unveils Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Uncrewed Ground Vehicle at Land Forces

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – BAE Systems Australia has today unveiled a cutting-edge uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) that gives military commanders an added tactical option while keeping soldiers out of harm’s way.

The Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), a new, cost effective, modular, 8×8 UGV, has been designed and built leveraging BAE Systems’ world-leading expertise in autonomous technology, armoured vehicles and in collaboration with industry partners.

The future battlefield will involve a mix of autonomous, semi-autonomous and human machine teams, generating combat mass and removing soldiers from many of the most dangerous tasks.

ATLAS CCV will operate using high levels of autonomy both on and off-road, complementing crewed counterparts such as infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, at a lower cost. The vehicle incorporates existing, proven technologies to provide a cost-effective capability that is mission configurable and upgradable so that it continues to evolve to counter new and emerging technologies and threats.

BAE Systems is continuously exploring innovative technology that provides armed forces with a tactical advantage in an ever-changing battlespace. The autonomy system at the core of the ATLAS CCV will ‘drive’ the vehicle, avoid obstacles, route plan, and make tactical decisions.

Andrew Gresham, Managing Director – Defence Delivery at BAE Systems Australia, said:

“We’ve developed the ATLAS vehicle to give soldiers the advantage on the modern battlefield. This has resulted in an autonomous platform that will deliver the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks expected in a combat environment.

“ATLAS will enable the Australian Army to be fit to fight in the littoral environment. It will help the soldier outpace, out-manoeuvre and out-think conventional and unconventional threats.

“We have proven expertise in autonomous technologies, built on more than 30 years of complex autonomous projects. We’re excited that this is the first UGV of its kind to be developed in Australia and look forward to working with our industry partners to deliver this capability for our customers.” 

ATLAS CCV is armed with a new, lightweight, affordable, highly automated medium calibre turret system called ‘VANTAGE’ ATS™’, designed for use on uncrewed platforms. Importantly, the turret is designed with a ‘human in-the-loop’ targeting system.

ATLAS CCV is easily transportable, designed to fit into a standard 20-foot ISO container or 20-foot ISO flat rack. It will also deliver a logistics multiplier effect for companion crewed platforms, effectively extending the combat endurance of vehicles currently in service. 

BAE Systems has worked with partners including Supacat in the UK/Australia, Valhalla Turrets in Slovenia and Victorian manufacturer Marand to deliver ATLAS CCV.

www.baesystems.com/en-aus/atlas

70 Years of Flight: The C-130’s Legacy, Future

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) —  

Since its first flight Aug. 23, 1954, the C-130 Herculeshas proven to be one of the most versatile and active aircraft in the Air Force’s fleet, having carried troops and supplies from the tundra of Antarctica, to the deserts of the Middle East, to the tropical islands of the Pacific, and nearly everywhere in between. 
 
Robins Air Force Base, host of the C-130 70th Anniversary celebration, has played a key role in keeping the C-130 fleet not just flying, but equipped with the technology and modernizations that make it a critical component of the contemporary Air Force fleet.

“It’s the greatest airplane ever built, and it’s stained honorably with American blood, sweat and tears,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command. “That airplane is a monument to everyone that flies, fixes, and supports it … From the assembly line, to the flight line, to the depot line, it’s the hands that touch it that make it so powerful.”

The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins AFB is the central hub for depot maintenance and modernization of the C-130. With 12 different C-130 models spread across seven major commands and the Air National Guard, totaling 436 aircraft in the Air Force fleet, effective and efficient maintenance is vital to keeping the mission running – especially in an era of Great Power Competition.

“We’re the best at what we do here,” said Ben Stuart, 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director of operations. “The first flight was in 1954, and we’ve been doing depot maintenance on C-130s at Robins since 1964.

We’ve got mission partners with the program office, engineering, the Defense Logistics Agency and Lockheed Martin,” Stuart continued. “That combination is what makes us the best in the business, and we have been doing it for 60 years. Nobody else in the world does the repair and overhaul work that we do here at Robins.”

Around 50 of the aircraft come through each year for maintenance, to include planned depot maintenance, unplanned depot-level maintenance like battle damage repair, and modifications.

While Robins does significant C-130 work on the installation, the scope of its mission does not stop at the gates.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s C-130 engineering team regularly receives Engineering Technical Assistance Requests, where in-unit maintenance teams run into issues they are not able to solve on station. In 2023, the AFLCMC team received almost 3,500 ETARs, many of which resulted in the aircraft being grounded. In responding to these, Robins AFB coordinates with the home units to find a solution. When needed, engineers will deploy to the aircraft’s location to resolve the issue, keeping the global C-130 fleet flying and active.

As the Air Force calls on its members to reoptimize for Great Power Competition, the C-130 is being prepared for its next chapter. The call for reoptimization, the emphasis on Agile Combat Employment and the challenges of the Pacific theater mean that the C-130 will need to continue evolving.

“To survive and operate in that environment, it will absolutely be on the backs of our C-130s,” said Michael Beasley, the Mobility Directorate C-130 Hercules division senior materiel leader and retired maintenance officer.

According to Beasley, one of the biggest challenges in reoptimizing for GPC is the logistical hurdles that come with the change in area of responsibility.

Beasley spoke on how flights in the Middle East were often short range, only lasting a few hours, with less concern for fuel and range management.

Moving to operations in the Pacific, with major hubs often thousands of miles apart with nothing but ocean in between, that sentiment has changed.

“In the past we never had to worry about that, right? We’re just flying from Ramstein Air Base, (Germany), down to Iraq,” Beasley said. “We didn’t have to worry about that long term, or that margin at the end of the flight that says, ‘Man, I need to squeeze just another hour and a half out of this airplane.’ GPC has us thinking about how we can do that.”

From increases in engine power and efficiency, to new propellor technologies and weight reduction efforts, the modernization efforts of the C-130 are a series of upgrades that not only provide individual benefit but work in tandem to make the aircraft as effective as possible.

“We’re trying to squeeze out every bit of performance out of this airplane we can, because we know that we’re probably the bedrock of that ACE concept,” Beasley said. “Once we get everything in theater and we’re in the battle, what’s going to keep that battle alive are the C-130 tactical transports, getting that stuff from island to island.”

The C-130 has also seen a number of avionics upgrades aimed at increasing effectiveness in a connectivity-contested environment.

Two technologies being utilized are the Real-Time in Cockpit and Dynamic Retasking Capability systems. These allow the C-130 to receive key information from command-and-control communication systems, or C2CS, prior to entering a battle space and provides the ability to forward this information off to advance commanders. Not only does this increase the awareness of the air crew, but also acts as a force multiplier in expanding the reach of C2CS.

With 70 years of history as one of the most versatile and battle-tested aircraft in the Air Force fleet, the C-130 looks to enter its next era in the reoptimization for Great Power Competition – and just as Robins AFB has kept the aircraft flying the last seven decades, it will be sending out the aircraft to maintain air dominance for years to come.

By Patrick Sullivan, 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Remembering 9/11 – In Honor of Flight 93

Wednesday, September 11th, 2024

Never Forget these fine people who were taken from us by evil men. Let’s honor the heroes of Flight 93 who made a fateful decision that they weren’t going to become pawns in a crazed attempt to decapitate our government. They took the enemy on, firsthand. They will always have our respect.

Let’s Roll!

The Crew
Jason Dahl
LeRoy Homer, Jr.
Lorraine Bay
Sandra Bradshaw
Cee Cee Lyles
Wanda Green
Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh

The Passengers
Christian Adams
Todd Beamer
Alan Beaven
Mark Bingham
Deora Bodley
Marion Britton
Thomas E. Burnett Jr.
Willam Cashman
Georgine Rose Corrigan
Patricia Cushing
Joseph DeLuca
Patrick “Joe” Driscoll
Edward Porter Felt
Jane Folger
Colleen L. Fraser
Andrew Garcia
Jeremy Glick
Lauren Grandcolas
Donald F. Greene
Linda Gronlund
Richard Guadagno
Toshiya Kuge
Hilda Marcin
Waleska Martinez
Nicole Miller
Louis J. Nacke II
Donald and Jean Peterson
Mark “Mickey” Rothenberg
Christine Snyder
John Talignani
Honor Elizabeth Wainio
Kristin Gould White

We will not name the hijackers. May they forever be dishonored.

9/11 Remembered – The Toll

Wednesday, September 11th, 2024

On this 23rd commemoration of that fateful day which saw so many of us fling to corners of the earth to track down those behind this heinous act and bring them to justice, I want to remember the feeling of that day as it transpired. A feeling of helplessness. I want to remember it because I don’t ever want to have the feeling again.

There were 2996 immediate deaths on September 11th, 2001. I will never forget the people who cheered that day, celebrating an attack on America and the deaths of so many innocents. I woke up this morning and checked my usual news sites. Almost nothing about the events of 9/11/01. It took 23 years for America to forget its dead and abandon a unified purpose.

Regardless of which way the political winds blow, I remain a patriot. But in a greater sense, I will also always honor those from other nations who stood with us on that day and throughout the ensuing decades of conflict. After all, there were victims from 90 countries on 9/11. A sick ideology attacked the world and despite our efforts, it lives on, dug in like a tick.

The crisis remains. Every year we lose more and more amazing people to issues caused by those events. Victims and rescuers alike suffer life threatening medical conditions due to the exposure to toxins during the attacks and continue to succumb to these lingering wounds. As a country, we must stand by them.

Even now, the world is faced with the continued threat of Islamic fundamentalism that targets our ideals in both word and deed. We must oppose them in every case, lest our efforts thus far, be in vain.

The toll…it weighs on.

Never Forgive, Never Forget

9/11 Memorial – As It Happened – 1720

Wednesday, September 11th, 2024

Later that day, at 1720 – 7 World Trade Center, a 47-story building, collapses.

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